Three deans of Columbia University suspended for their conduct before a panel on anti-Semitism

New York: Columbia University placed three administrative staffers on leave last week, a university spokesman said Saturday. The actions came just over a week after images emerged showing the university officials sending derogatory text messages during a panel discussion on anti-Semitism on campus.

The panel, which focused on Jewish life on campus amid tensions caused by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, took place during a Columbia College class reunion on May 31.

The spokesperson did not disclose which officials were placed on leave, but The Washington Free Beacon, the website that first published the images, reported that they were Susan Chang-Kim, associate dean and top administrator, Cristen Kromm, dean of student life, and Matthew Patashnick, assistant dean for student and family support.

According to the Free Beacon, Chang-Kim also exchanged text messages with Josef Sorett, the dean of Columbia College, during the event. In one of those messages, according to the Free Beacon, Sorett wrote “LMAO,” for “laughing my ass off,” in response to a sarcastic message Chang-Kim had written about Brian Cohen, the executive director of Columbia/Barnard Hillel.

According to a university official, Sorett is cooperating with the investigation into the text exchange. He will remain excluded from the investigation but will remain dean.

Sorett oversees Columbia College’s curriculum, and his central mission is to “ensure that students have the best possible experiences inside and outside the classroom,” the university’s website states.

In a statement sent to Columbia College’s Board of Visitors Friday afternoon, Sorett told the advisory board that he deeply regrets his role in the text message exchanges and their impact on the community.

“I am determined to learn from this situation and to engage in the work against anti-Semitism, discrimination and hatred at Columbia University,” he said.

Attempts to reach the other administrators were unsuccessful.

Because the investigation is ongoing, the university will not comment further on the details or the first incident, the Columbia spokesman said.

The Free Beacon, a conservative news site, said it obtained the images from a person sitting behind Chang-Kim at the event who was taking photos of her phone screen while texting with the other administrators.

As the panelists spoke, the deans exchanged messages, as the images show. “Difficult to listen to, but I’m trying to keep an open mind to get to know that point of view,” Chang-Kim once wrote to Sorett. He replied, “Yup.”